“If you’ve ever called a .GIF a Jif, we forgive you.”

So say Jif® peanut butter and from GIPHY, the world’s first and largest GIF search engine.

The two brands have teamed up to settle the ongoing debate over how to pronounce GIF, the acronym for Graphic Image File.

[1] Jif, making a point about GIFs (both photos © Jif).

[2] THere are 34 spoonfuls of creamy Jif in the jar.

[1] Mmm, Vegetable Lasagna; or, if you prefer, meat sauce (all photos © Michael Angelo’s).

[2] Have some Eggplant Parm, or the Chicken Parm if you prefer.

[3] Check the store locator to find your products of choice.

There are two comfort foods that we allow ourselves once a month—at a restaurant, at Whole Foods takeout and other specialty stores (Fairway, Citarella) where you’d think the store-made lasagna and eggplant parm would more than satisfy.

Mostly, they don’t. The sauce isn’t great, the seasoning is lacking, there isn’t enough ricotta, etc. etc.

Thank goodness Michael Angelo’s found us, and sent us samples of our favorites.

They are our new go-to’s!

 
We did add some dried oregano and fresh parsley, but were happy to eat all of the dishes without garnishing.

The entrées were more than cheesy: We didn’t need to grate any parmesan on top.

The only problem is, now that we’ve discovered Michael Angelo’s, the once-a-month rule may fall by the wayside.
 
 
AN EXTENSIVE LINE OF FAVORITE ITALIAN CLASSICS

There’s much more in the Michael Angelo’s line that we haven’t yet tried.

The line is so extensive, we could try something different every night for a month.

With food as good as your neighborhood Italian restaurant, Michael Angelo’s serves up all the classics from
Baked Ziti and Chicken Piccata to Manicotti and Shrimp Scampi.

Keep a few boxes in the freezer, grab a bag of salad and an optional loaf of Italian bread, and you’re good to go.

Head to the website to see the whole line; there’s also a store locator.

There are 11-ounce single-serve, 30-ounce family size and 44-ounce large family size; plus gourmet bowls, starters and more.

The 30-ounce family size serves two hungry adults—although we admit that on a particularly hungry night, we ate the whole thing.

(Don’t tell Mama.)

The food comes in microwavable trays, and if you prefer to use a conventional oven, you can remove the food and place it into your own oven-proof dish.

We tried both techniques, and for a time-saver, the microwave is just fine. The food was ready in little more time than it would have taken to preheat our oven.

On the other hand, the oven offers the opportunity to bake a loaf of garlic bread.
 
 
>>> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA IN OUR PASTA GLOSSARY<<<

National Clam Chowder Day is February 25th.

There’s also National New England Clam Chowder Day on January 21st, a recipe with a cream base. But there’s no Manhattan Clam Chowder Day, a chowder with a tomato base, or Rhode Island Clam Chowder Day, made with a clear broth.

For today, here’s a fun fusion food: Gnocchi Clam Chowder, combining the creamy clam chowder of New England with gnocchi pasta from Northern Italy (photos #1 and #2).

It’s a clever twist: Instead of the diced potatoes that are typical in chowder, this recipe substitutes potato gnocchi (NYUH-kee, photo #3) and a second ingredient that originated in Northern Italy:

Pancetta (pan-CHET-tuh, photo #4), a style of Italian bacon (here’s more about it.

And here’s more about gnocchi: technically, a dumpling but usually included in the category of stuffed pasta or “pillow pasta”—agnolotti, ravioli, tortellini, etc.
 
 
RECIPE: GNOCCHI CLAM CHOWDER

This is a hearty, comforting, filling, chowder that can serve as a first course, or a main course with a green salad.

This easy recipe from DeLallo is made with their packaged potato gnocchi.

You can use packaged gnocchi or fresh gnocchi, which require less cooking time.

Instead of the oyster crackers traditionally served with clam chowder, consider this garlic bread recipe.
 
 
Ingredients For 8-10 Servings

 
Preparation

1. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook according to the package instructions. Remember, gnocchi will float to the surface when finished cooking. Drain and set aside.

2. MELT the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and pancetta begins to brown, about 8 minutes.

3. ADD the celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add clam juice, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile…

4. WHISK the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl to form a slurry paste. Stir into the chowder base and bring to a boil to thicken.

5. DISCARD the bay leaf. Stir in he clams, cream and gnocchi, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

6. GARNISH with chives and serve. We had some fresh parsley, and snipped that in as well.
 
 
MORE CHOWDER RECIPES

 
 
GARLIC BREAD RECIPES

 
 
>>> THE HISTORY OF CLAM CHOWDER <<<
 
 
>>> BEYOND GNOCCHI:

CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA IN OUR PASTA GLOSSARY <<<

[1] Clam chowder with something different: potato gnocchi instead of diced potatoes (photos #1 and #2 © DeLallo).

[2] A hot pot of clam chowder. Here’s a recipe for the toasted garlic bread.

[3] Handmade gnocchi (photo © Neco Garnicia | Stock Exchange).

[4] Pancetta, a variety of Italian ham (photo © Di Bruno Bros.).

[5] Canned clams are a quick solution, but if you can use fresh clams, the superior flavor is your payback (photo © Pete’s Seafood Club).

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